On the Internet, social networks allow users to connect to and share information with each other. Many social networks include a content sharing aspect that allows users to upload, view, and share content, such as video content, image content, audio content, and so on. Other users of the social network may comment on the shared content, discover new content, locate updates, share content, and otherwise interact with the provided content. The shared content may include content from professional content creators, e.g., movie clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as content from amateur content creators, e.g., video blogging and short original videos.
Currently, users are spending increased amounts of time on content sharing platforms. “Sharing” of content items between users of the content sharing platform and with users of other social networks is important for driving views of content items of the content sharing platform, starting viewing sessions on the content sharing platform, and increasing watch time of content items on the content sharing platform. Sharing refers to a user of the content sharing platform promoting and/or endorsing a content item to another user of the content sharing platform or of another social network for viewing purposes. As such, many content sharing platforms promote sharing as a feature when viewing a content item. This sharing feature is generally a static function of a user interface (UI) displaying the content item for viewing by users. For example, the sharing function may be a tab or icon located in a set place on the UI, without regard to how the content item was accessed or the viewing and/or sharing history of the user.
However, in some cases, when a user of a content sharing platform interacts with a sharing function of a content sharing platform, there is a negative impact on overall watch time of that user at the content sharing platform. This is because the sharing function distracts the user from the content item and from continuing his or her watch session at the content sharing platform.